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Stripping Automotive Paints
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This car is for sale at a swap meet, and some
sellers can be cagey (this one appears to have
waxed the car to make it shiny); but we see no
rust, no dents, no cracks, and no flakes. It
looks like a candidate for a good sanding and
a new paint job. You can get such a car for a
much lower price and do the paint yourself.
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Of all the cars I’ve painted, the only ones I’ve had no problems with, either immediately or later,
were the ones I stripped to bare metal to begin with. This could be coincidence. But more likely it
has to do with what lay below the surface of the dragged-home derelict vehicles that I didn’t strip.
Lord knows where they had been and how many times they had been painted.
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Here’s a similar car that has been sanded and
partly stripped, ready for new paint. Assuming it’s
all straight and smooth, I’d spray some sealer on
any bare metal spots (if not the whole car, just to be
sure), and then mask and spray color. This is
exactly what we did with several cars as teens
(short of taking glass out). We then had them
sprayed by a local painter, with never any
problems. With your own garage and equipment,
you can do the painting yourself.
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Here’s that Nomad again. As we say in the text, there’s no point stripping or grinding out someone
else’s filler (undoing work already done) if it’s done relatively well. You can see from the waves in
the reflection in the side of this car that (1) it has filler in it, and (2) it needs further block/board
sanding to get it as straight as it should be. But the paint’s been on the car a good while, and there’
s no rust coming through, no cracks, and none of the filler is falling out (which does happen). We’d
recommend sanding with 80-grit on a long board until it’s pretty straight, then spraying with high-fill
primer and blocking again with 180-grit.
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When you’re starting a paint project you once again have a few options. First, let’s assume you
know, or are pretty confident, that the paint on the car is either factory original or a respray that
was done properly in the past, and there is no evidence of cracking, checking, peeling, bubbling, or
so on. If this is the case, you can usually sand down the paint on the car, smoothly and evenly, and
paint over it using most of today’s modern paints. If the existing finish is still relatively new and in
good shape, and you just want to change the color or put something like a pearl coat over it (as we
show later), then sanding down the existing paint and recovering it should be fine. Don’t forget that
some new cars get damaged and spot-painted—sometimes even bodyworked—at the dealer
before being sold. Hopefully such work has been done properly, with good catalyzed paints,
primers, and sealers. If so, it can be painted over like the rest of the car. If not, you probably won’t
know it until it wrinkles or lifts while you’re painting the car. Similarly, if the original paint, or a good
repaint, is just faded, or possibly the clear is peeling in places, you can sand it down and repaint it
the same color (including a base coat and a clear coat), without having to repaint the doorjambs,
under the hood, and so on. Further, when the car is built at the factory, the body and other sheet-
metal components are dipped, electrostatically sprayed, or otherwise treated with rust-protective
coats and other primers that are tougher and better-bonded than anything you can buy and spray
at home (it’s the same for bodyshops or custom painters). So some painters suggest not stripping
the vehicle to bare metal (especially inside-and-out, as in immersion stripping), so that you don’t
remove these tough factory undercoats. It’s a debatable point.
The second—and usually better—option is to thoroughly sand whatever paint is on the car, then
cover it with a good sealer followed by a modern catalyzed primer. Actually, if the existing surface
sands down nice and smooth, you could spray a coat of catalyzed sealer over it (preferably a
colored sealer of a shade close to the final paint color, if the sanded surface ends up multi-
colored), followed by the new paint. However, most cars needing a paint job also have dings, door
dents, scrapes, or other surface problems that won’t simply sand out. So most often, if you’re going
to paint over existing paint, we suggest sanding it down with relatively coarse paper (180 to 220
grit), and then either shooting the whole body (preferably), or just any rough, dinged, or
bodyworked areas, with a good, catalyzed, high-fill primer. If the paint on the car is multi-layer, old,
or otherwise edgy, give yourself extra insurance and add a coat of sealer before the primer. Then
you can use some catalyzed spot putty where necessary over the primer and start block sanding,
as we detail in following chapters. Most of my early paint problems, when painting over existing
finishes without stripping, occurred because I was using lacquer primer and lacquer paint. We talk
more about this later, but lacquer solvents are extremely aggressive, and lift or wrinkle all kinds of
underlying paints, especially older non-catalyzed ones, including old lacquer. For both of these
reasons, modern paints really are better, especially if you’re spraying it over existing paint.
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The third option is iffy and always debatable. It pertains to older vehicles, or ones that you know
have been damaged and bodyworked. But in this case the exterior surface, whether it’s fresh and
shiny, old and faded, or maybe in a coat of primer, looks relatively smooth and straight and shows
no evidence of cracking, bubbling, rust, or other badness. If the surface is shiny and fresh, and you
want to repaint it, I can only assume you just bought the car and paid for a paint job you didn’t want.
Don’t compound the issue (in my opinion) by immediately stripping this paint off only to find what
you consider to be an excessive amount of filler underneath. Lots of good paint jobs, even by big-
name builders, have filler under them. It’s the most expedient way to get a super-straight show-
winning body and paint job. But the majority of these cars are stripped to bare metal to begin with,
metal-worked pretty close, and then the filler and other undercoats are added properly. If you strip
all this off, you’re just erasing several man-hours of work that have to be repeated, either by you or
someone you’ll have to pay big bucks by the hour. If somebody has already spent a lot of time
bodyworking, priming, and sanding the car, you’d be nuts to strip all that out and do it over again,
right? Now, if there’s rust under there, or the filler’s an inch thick, it’s a different story. The body
needs stripping to start, and more work after that.
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On the roof of this car, however, we see that
the paint is crazed and checked. Assuming
only the top coat of paint is so affected, it
either has to be completely sanded off (down
to stable undercoats), or strip just the roof of
the car, either by media-blasting or liquid hand-
stripping. If the checking isn’t too bad, you
might be able to sand it smooth and coat it with
today’s catalyzed high-fill primer. But often
such checking will “telegraph” (through
shrinkage) back to the surface, especially after
new paint is rubbed out.
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How can you tell if a car has filler in it, especially
if it’s painted and looks smooth? The first clue is
to check the backsides of any panels accessible
to see (or feel) if they’re wrinkly or wobbly. Some
people can “hear” filler just by rapping their
knuckle along the outer body. Otherwise, I have
seen numerous “filler finder” devices that use
spring-loaded magnets, or are battery-powered
with lights or beepers. However, a simple, small
refrigerator magnet, like the two shown here, can
work just as well, especially if you use the same
one regularly and get to know its “feel.”
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But this option we’re discussing pertains to vehicles that you know or suspect have had some
bodywork done, and you assume it has been done properly because nothing indicates otherwise. In
such cases I suggest not stripping the car because most types of stripping either remove existing
filler, or “infect” it with chemicals so it must be removed. Opinions differ on this issue, but I think it’s
smarter to be an optimist. Given that you’ve checked carefully for any real gremlins, and the body
looks good the way it is, sand it down and repaint it. Even if it’s a little wavy, do your block sanding
on what’s already there, if it’s a stable surface. Add some high-fill primer or spot putty, as needed.
But consider yourself lucky you didn’t have to go through the major job of stripping and a bunch of
arduous bodywork. If you keep this car for years and it starts showing signs of some missed rust or
improper bodywork, either fix those spots or strip the whole car at that point, rather than assuming it
from the start.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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How to Paint Your Car on a Budget
by Pat Ganahl
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If your car needs new paint, or even just a touch-up, the cost
involved in getting a professional job can be more than you
bargained for. Fortunately, there are less expensive
alternatives-—you can even paint your own car at home!
In How to Paint Your Car On A Budget, author Pat Ganahl unveils
dozens of secrets that will help anyone paint their own car. From
simple scuff-and-squirt jobs to full-on, door-jambs-and-everything
paint jobs, Ganahl covers everything you need to know to get a
great-looking coat of paint on your car and save lots of money in
the process. This book covers painting equipment, the ins and
outs of prep, masking, painting and sanding products and
techniques, and real-world advice on how to budget wisely when
painting your own car. It’s the most practical automotive painting
book ever written!
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter!
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Introduction - Budget Painting
Chap. 1 - Automotive Painting
Chap. 2 - Paint Stripping
Chap. 3 - Bodywork
Chap. 4 - Painting at Home
Chap. 5 - Paint Products
Chap. 6 - Paint Preparation
Chap. 7 - One-Day Paint Job
Chap. 8 - Sand and Paint
Chap. 9 - Full Paint Jobs
Chap. 10 - Restorations
Chap. 11 - Sand & Buff
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8-1/2 x 11"
Softbound
128 pages
Approximately 400 color photos
Item: SA117
Price: $22.95
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a great book that any enthusiast will love,
whether it's your first paint job or your 50th.
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Other items you might be interested in
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Custom Painting
Custom Painting shows how to produce eye-popping custom paint
tricks. Easy to read and filled with 100s of hints. Includes practical
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Price:
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The Paint & Body Handbook
In this book over 450 illustrations and easy to read text are used
to explain how to repair dents and rust, replace body panels,
repair aluminum and fiberglass, perform sectioning, use lead and
plastic filler, weld patches and panels, shape sheet metal, perform
spot repairs and color matching, prepare the surface for final
paint, choose paint supplies and equipment and apply top coats,
graphics and pinstripes. You'll also find the latest information on
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Price:
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Pro Paint & Body
This book is a complete resource guide that covers the entire
spectrum of automotive paint and body equipment, and body
repair techniques. You’ll find information on assessing a project
car for damage and estimated repairs, disassembly and paint
stripping, repairing dents including the latest hammer and dolly
tools and techniques, leading, welding, adhesives and plastic
fillers, latest spray guns and spray techniques, current paint
technology, body prep for final paint, color sanding, polishing,
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The Automotive Paint Handbook
More than just a book on how to paint your car, the Automotive
Paint Handbook is a comprehensive resource that covers the
entire field of automotive paint technology, from types of paint
and how to perform a paint job, to advanced OEM factory paint
techniques, paint care and inspection. For years, paint
professionals from companies such as DuPont have used this
book for training. Now fully revised and updated, this best
selling book has the latest information available from the paint
industry.
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Price:
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Auto Upholstery & Interiors
Auto Upholstery and Interiors is a user friendly guide that gives
you the knowledge to make your interior looking like new and
by doing the installation work yourself, you save money and
have the satisfaction of learning a new skill. Detailed sections
include painting interior parts, headliner replacement, carpet
kits, door panels, dashboard restoration, seat kit installation,
kick panels, trunk detailing, steering wheel repairs and swaps,
custom seat installation, using dyes, simple upholstery repairs,
and cleaning and detailing tips
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Price:
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Fiberglass and Other Composite Materials
For many years race cars of all types have been constructed with
lightweight materials in addition to aluminum and steel. These
include fiberglass, kevlar and carbon fiber. This space age
technology is also being applied to many street cars, street rods,
boats, and light aircraft. Carbon fiber is now used in everything
from tennis rackets and golf clubs to bicycles, telescopes, camera
tripods, and hundreds of other products. This book offers the
latest technology and equipment to help you construct and repair
your own lightweight body panels and components.
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Price:
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MRE
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